The Tragedy In Toulouse

To be a Jew is to be a magnet for hatred, no matter how unjustified and irrational.

The murderer on the motorcycle dismounted, grabbed the beautiful eight-year-old little girl by her hair. He put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger. When it failed to fire, he switched to another weapon, shot the girl at point-blank range in the temple, calmly retrieved his moped and rode off.

There were three other victims as well at the Jewish religious school in Toulouse, France. One was a Rabbi, two others were his young sons.

"He was calm and determined. In cold blood he assassinated them as if he was killing animals," Nicola Yardeni, the regional president of CRIF, France's Jewish organization, said after viewing CCTV footage of the shootings from surveillance cameras.

"You see a man park his motorcycle, start to shoot, enter the school grounds and chase children to catch one and shoot a bullet into her head. It's unbearable to watch. He was looking to kill."

The carnage exemplifies the crime of the Jewish people’s arch enemy Amalek, who attacked the weak and the helpless.

We struggle to understand, but the level of evil involved surpasses anything we can comprehend.

It is beyond human imagination to fathom how anyone can single out innocent children for assassination. We struggle to understand, but the level of evil involved surpasses anything we can comprehend.

Yet to learn nothing from this gruesome event is to rob it of any meaning and to render it inconsequential. We need to grasp its contemporary relevance and its message.

The killer hated not only Jews but also other ethnic and religious minorities. Hate usually requires more than one outlet. But history has proven beyond a doubt what every civilized society needs to acknowledge: Jews always serve the role for the world that the canary used to play for the coal miners.

In times past, miners would take canaries with them into the mines because the canaries were extremely sensitive to dangerous gases. They responded to danger before the humans did. So if the miners saw the canaries get sick and pass out, they knew that the air was bad and they would escape as fast as they could.

That's what we Jews do for the world. We are the world's early warning system. Where there is evil, where there ishatred, it affects us first. To be a Jew, whether we like it or not, is to be a magnet for hatred, for envy, for resentment no matter how unjustified, no matter how irrational. If there is hatred anywhere in the world, it will find us. If there is evil somewhere in the world, we will become its target. People overflowing with hatred for whatever reason, including self-hatred, make us the objects of their hatred.

There is a good reason why evildoers hate the Jew. Maurice Samuels put it memorably when he said, "No man loves his alarm clock." We bother the world because we keep trying to wake it up to the Divine call to moral and ethical behavior. Hitler said it more clearly. He attacked the Jews before he attacked Western civilization and he explained why they were his priority for extinction. “Conscience," he declared, "is a Jewish invention. It is a blemish like circumcision."

The very existence of the Jews is a threat to those whose goal is to cast off any claims for morality.

The very existence of the Jews is a threat to those whose goal is to cast off any claims for morality and civilized behavior. Jews are singled out for annihilation because of their mission to be "a light unto the nations" — and those who worship the forces of darkness and evil can't abide their continued presence on Earth.

That is why anti-Semitism doesn't simply put Jews in peril. Jews are merely the first ones to bear the brunt of attacks from the wicked. Once the Jewish invention of conscience is buried and the Jewish message of biblical ethics is laid to rest, anti-Semitism inevitably makes clear its ultimate intention: the victory of iniquity and the end of civilization.

The real challenge of the kind of terrorism we witnessed in Toulouse is implicit in the famous words of Pastor Martin Niemoller in response to the horrors of the Holocaust:

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak out for me.

When will the world understand this simple truth?

As Jews shed bitter tears over the death of the holy, the innocent and the pure at the Ozar HaTorah school, our cries are not simply for the slain of our faith.

We weep because we are witness to a threat to the civilized world that is still mistakenly identified as a Jewish problem — and then conveniently shunted aside as unworthy of global concern.

We cry because the "wise men of Europe" don't yet grasp that the grief of the world’s canaries, the Jews, portends far more serious consequences for all of mankind if not dealt with immediately with serious purpose and conviction.

We are wracked with pain because we view what happened in France as a challenge to the world's resolve to stand firm against terrorism and we've seen too much of the response of acceptance, accommodation and passivity.

Perhaps our prayers and our tears will help the world awaken to the call of our alarm clock’s urgent reminder to preserve the rule of morality and decency.

And perhaps the very excess of this horrific act will permit one of our greatest contributions to mankind, the invention of conscience, to engage in and successfully win the war over evil.

About the Author

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a frequent contributor to Aish, is a Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, and lecturer. Author of 19 highly acclaimed books with combined sales of over a half million copies, his newest, Redemption- Then and Now, commentaries and essays on the Passover Haggada is is presently available on Amazon and your local Judaica book store. See his website at rabbibenjaminblech.com.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 62

(43)
Boruch,
August 21, 2012 4:20 AM

Torah in Memory of These Kedoishim

After the horrifying Toulouse Massacre that shocked the world earlier this year, senior students in Australia decided that they will not sit back and watch the victims slowly be forgotten. Instead, they initiated a project to ensure they will be remembered by the Jewish world forever. These students have decided the they want to donate a Sefer Torah to the Kotel in memory of the victims of the Toulouse shooting.
However, writing a Sefer Torah costs a lot of money. That’s, were we need you!
By going to our website www.torahfortoulouse.com , you have the ability to donate money to this project by either buying a letter in the Sefer Torah, buying an entire Parsha, or simply donating an amount of money of your choice. The money you donate will directly contribute to the writing of this special Sefer Torah.
Click the link below to view a video presentation launching this project.
http://youtu.be/Pf2EACU3hJ0

(42)
Yehudith Shraga,
July 5, 2012 5:22 PM

Are we really hated just because we are jews?

We are not! We are often hated because half of us fight for Morality, Human rights, independence, freedom of an individual, while the other half suppress them, work for the regims that supress these values, or just do what is comfortable for them to do in politics, businesses and so and simply don't care if it is consistent or not with the Judaism=The Values proclaimed on Mt Sinai or even with the common level of consiousness, the hate is the mirrow for us to know where we ourselves exactly stand within these Values and how we fulfill our responsibility of being choosen to reperesent, fight and struggle for Torah Principles of Human instead of animal attitute and relashionships between the creatures which are created in the Image of the G-d, the more we are up to that Image the less the level of evil will be in other nations and on the contrary, the more we neglect our own values the more evil will dominate in the world, the Choice is up to us,we would better stop to play a humble, pure sheep being tormented by wolf.

(41)
Isahiah62,
July 4, 2012 8:51 PM

Jews who choose to remain in France are gambling with their lives and their children's lives- Time to admit France is a hostile nation filled with Muslims whose tradition teaches hatred and killing of JEWS. Not Israel- Jews.

(40)
peter herring,
March 29, 2012 9:56 AM

dreams Rabbi ......dreams

Rabbi Blech if only your dreams could become reality....if only......
Logic simply decrees that this will never happen as long as Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad , Abbas' PA and the myriad of like organisations are allowed to exist......
We speak in hushed and tearful tones as yet another act of premeditated murder is committed against, for the most part, innocent civilians and worse young children - in practice what do our vocal protests achieve...... nothing.......the confessed murderers of the Fogel family members are in prison - the costs of their detention paid for by the Israeli taxpayer - why??- surely it is time for the introduction of the death sentence for all proven terrorist acts - what is the State afraid of...world opinion....from whom? - the UN - an impotent body at best, and heavily biased against Israel -
Everyone I know would like to see your visions materialise, but all realise that what is academically sound, will never happen in practice in the middle east as we know it today
when Palestinian children as young as 6 are totally indocrinated to hate Israel and the Jewish people they will retain these teachings until they die......and then there is next years intake of 6 year olds...and the next years intake..........
It is time to take a heavy hand against all terrorist activity, with laws being put in place to justify much more severe punishment being handed out for proven - yes proven- cases
I know that if one of my family died at terrorist hands I would expect the murderer to receive a death sentence
Am I wrong? your thoughts....
The policy of revenge is a frightening one - but what solution is left - all others have failed and the murders continue.
Meanwhile in PA areas these criminal acts are cause for celebration in the streets
Immediate annexation of key West Bank security areas is essential - the palestinians who chose to stay, and their future offspring,to receive Identity Cards, and never be entitled to Israeli citizenship.

(39)
Alain,
March 28, 2012 3:33 PM

This is true islam

You can say this man was crazy, yes he was, but he is the result of the terror written in the very words of islam, the coran, the hadith. This man has been brainwashed by some talibans, trained to kill anyone who is not a "pure muslim", he first shot another muslim, a soldier, alledgedly because as a military he (quote) "killed his brothers", then two men, both soldiers, then 4 Jews he never met before, at random, an adult and three children. How can a man kill a child ?
Following pilice investigations, his elder brother is prosecuted for participation in the plot. Their father who lives in Algeria wants to file a complaint against the french police "for miurder". According to the media, the father who lived several yeras in France in the past, was once sentenced to five years in jail for drug trafficking, then expelled from France.
I wish I'll never have neighbours like that.

(38)
Judith Sinclair,
March 28, 2012 2:31 PM

Irshad Manji

My God, she sees clearly. Read her book on the trouble with Islam, objective and fair.

(37)
Hannah,
March 27, 2012 3:31 PM

A few inaccuracies

Whilst I sympathise with the article, lets correct a few mistakes esp the misquote of Niemöller - and its in wikipedia for all to check - the correct quotation is:
First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communists.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak out for me. "
The quote accurately reflects the true facts - hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish Germans were thrown into concentration camps in 1933 (the political opposition) and the world did nothing - the Jewish world also did very little.
The Toulouse murderer also murdered French soldiers first, lets not forget these (including muslims) or are they "second class victims"? - and ended up killing Jews coz he couldn't find more French soldiers to kill.
Yes, the Toulouse murderer is an antisemite but not only that. Its strange that we forget that the overwhelming number of victims of islamists are actually muslims. Perhaps if we encourage these to speak up, they will do so. For them its life endangering though, just as it was for Germans during the Nazi era.

AleSandra,
March 30, 2012 5:55 AM

committing the unthinkable

Well, I do not disagree with what you are saying at all. Nor do I disapprove of your corrections of the quote. it is good you have such a good mind for detail. Still, let us not overlook the author's point...maybe not as eloquently spoken as yours...we do not try to diminish the lives shed that are not Jewish...moreso...simply to educate the masses who know nothing...that this is just the beginning of birth pangs..for the entire world. If we, collectively, as earth's inhabitants neglect to learn from history this valuable lesson...simply stated...that Jews are the 'watchmen on the walls', then surely destruction follows quickly...and who will be left?

(36)
lyndon howells,
March 27, 2012 8:55 AM

"yes we must all stand up and speak up"

As a practising Roman Catholic but also an avid reader of many things Jewish who has several good Jewish friends,I now realise that it's up to all the other God fearing people that we should all speak up and stand up for all our fellow brothers and sisters of the great jewish faith.It's not just good enough to write and complain about such tragedies that happens to our fellow human beings,let us all wake up and defend them with all our hearts and minds,and then perhaps we can all live in perfect peace and harmony.

(35)
GORDON SACK,
March 26, 2012 8:11 PM

NO ONE CAN EXPRESS OUR DEVASTATING SADNESS AND OUR MISSION IN THIS WORLD AS APTLY AS PROFESSOR BLECH YASHER KOACH GORDON SACK.

(34)
kate b,
March 26, 2012 7:57 AM

Abdelwahed, that's very kind of you but now will you

look at Mohamet who is the 'perfect man', he kills and prescribes killing of Jews and Christians and other kuffr.
Confucious doesn't, dalai Lama doesn't Jesus doesn't - also you can walk away from these religions without fear of being killed - you can't do that in Islam.
Islam lends itself to violence because the truth is that it is the immutable word of Alah, it can't co-exist with the west as its very nature is a proseltysing, jihadist ideology by word and deed of its example, Mohamet. This is not meant to hurt you, read the Torah on this site. Salam Aleichum

Wassim,
March 26, 2012 8:23 AM

That's how you drive people away - let him go on his own journey

wrong on so many levels.

(33)
Anonymous,
March 26, 2012 7:47 AM

HeartSunk

I reserve my heart thoughts to be respectful of the precious people lost at the hands of such evil. Please accept my sincere condolence for the families and the Jewish community.

(32)
Christine Schenker,
March 26, 2012 5:39 AM

Heart Breaking; Cold blood, very sad {Children} how could he

I pray the truth of antisemitism will get out to the churches, as like it said, they won't stop with the Jew they didn't at the holocaust, and they won't again. I wish and pray people would wake up as my husband's family went through the Nazi Regime, and only few made it.

(31)
barbara gromb,
March 26, 2012 3:39 AM

I have always known that Jews were and are the world's miner's canary. Simply put, from the very beginning of western civilization, if it was/is not good for the Jewish people, it will soon enough not be good for all of mankind

(30)
Rachel Garber,
March 26, 2012 1:27 AM

I always thought the world hated us for what we represent

It was so interesting for me to read what Hitler said, I was totally unaware of that fact. However, it has been my belief that dispite their supposed piety, the world hates us for what we stand for. They subconsciously hate us for spoiling their fun. Because of us, they world was forced to give up paganism and it stands for. They talk the talk (if being G-d fearing people) but at the heart of it, they hate that they have to walk the walk. With the coming of Judaism and all it's demands that people rise above their base instincts, people could no longer justify "sacred" prostitutes, infidelity, pedophilia, slavery (although some tried to use the Holy Scriptures to justify it and some still do) Indeed, "...they came for the Jews and I did not speak up, because I am not a Jew...and there was no one left to speak for me" Canary in the mines, indeed we are.

(29)
Jaimie Charter,
March 25, 2012 10:01 PM

Islamic Agression

Islamic agression is evident on every continent. This includes Asia, Europe, Africa, South America and North America. I follow the news closely and understand that according to the Qu'ran, Muslims must dominate the infidels. Of course, all non muslims are infidels, especially the Jewish people.
Knowledgeable people who have read that book know that there are sections that encourage Muslims to kill Jewish people.

(28)
Jossef,
March 25, 2012 8:40 PM

Evil Inarnate

If God wanted to send us a reminder of the evil that still exist in this world and that we Jews have not yet fulfilled our role of Tikkun Olam, He could not have created a more obvious image than that of Mohamad Merah. Just looking at the pictures of this man is enough to send shivers through anyone's spine.

(27)
Kendali Freitas,
March 25, 2012 8:29 PM

So Sad...So True

I have read your words as if my own mouth was shouting them because you spoke the cry of my heart. Thank you for bring to light such an urgent issue. If we don't act, we will all certainly perish.

(26)
gonjtonic,
March 25, 2012 6:17 PM

if they hate us so much,

then the only way for us to cope with that is to make them so frighten that they will leave us alone...so long as the muslims were afraid of the "Jews" everything was sustainable.

Anonymous,
March 26, 2012 7:24 AM

"if" is the key

1. I don't think "persuasion by fear" is the best way. Note that Islam being "spread by the sword" is perhaps it's most memorable negative aspect from history.
2. If children throw stones at tanks, then fear is not persuasive. If an individual Muslim believes blindly what he reads in the Quran without thinking about it, then he lacks the reason to understand the consequences of his actions. Fear doesn't work on those who lack the ability to reason. The individual muslims who can reason are your greatest opportunity for peace. Reason is a hope we shouldn't give up on. A world without reason, is antithetical to Judaism's aims.
3. Since 9/11, it is clear that not all Muslims are evil terrorists. Despite the anti-Jewish and anti-Christian passages in the Quran, Muslims have largely rejected any "call to jihad". You can fault the lack of collective Muslim voice or conscience, but any attempt to paint them all with the "evil" brush has failed for good reason, because it simply isn't true.
4. The dangers of propagating the "they hate us so much" myth could not be over emphasized. The Muslim population of the world is approx 1.6 billion. The number of individual muslims who have transgressed against Jews and Israel and their supporters is a very small fraction of that number. Again, you can fault their lack of collective voice and conscience, but there is very little correlation between being Muslim and committing barbarous acts of terrorism.
5. Being "Chosen" means you will never be "left alone". Your task is to choose your attitude because it will either make you or break you. There is plenty of evidence for this in your history.
I hope I am not being offensive, I feel it is my duty to respond for the sake of the peace we all hope for, regardless our individual flaws and failings.

(25)
Steve,
March 25, 2012 6:09 PM

Islam: Is trying to rule the world by hateful force.

Terrorism is an international problem.
Pray, for people of integrity and grit to be in authority.

Anonymous,
March 26, 2012 6:46 AM

Islam is undergoing a reformation - the terrorists are misguided INDIVIDUALS

"Islam" itself, is not an active being, therefore it cannot act according to any agenda. "Individuals" however, do have a personal agenda and perhaps a misguided evil version of a particular ideology within their minds.

(24)
Edoardo Recanati,
March 25, 2012 5:08 PM

Before asking Why we are so hated, we have to ask ourselves WHY is the People of Israel surviving miraculously through the most difficult times and centuries. Everybody know that we have a Covenant with God and He cannot let us be destroyed. In the meantime, He is expecting from us to deliver what He expects: follow His Commandments. Do we?
Clearly not. Most of us don't even know the laws! Many have complicated our sweet Torah with "improvements" of His simple Laws. And who is ever thinking of being a light to the nations? So, we get our retribution. The same Gentiles who do not see the good they await unconsciously from us are the tools in His hands to remind us that we have no choice. We have to rediscover God, the One of the Bible, then each and every Nation will praise us and run to receive the light from Zion, Jerusalem. Edoardo Recanati

Anonymous,
March 25, 2012 8:13 PM

how to survive

The Pilgrims had a saying: Trust in God but keep your gunpowder dry.

Anonymous,
March 26, 2012 6:41 AM

You have to GIVE first in order to RECEIVE later

it cannot work in the opposite direction

(23)
Wally,
March 25, 2012 5:00 PM

Defend houses of worship

God has given us the means, we have to use them. What if after firing one shot, the killer had been gunned down by a trained guard?

(22)
babette bergner,
March 25, 2012 4:09 PM

Hard to write about without being effusive. In this case, the subject demands it.

(21)
Mike Miller,
March 25, 2012 3:58 PM

Sad and annoyed

We must be resolute and tough and fight back as hard as we can. It's pointless to take these crimes sitting down and turning the other cheek. The only language these thugs understand is a firm and solid response. I support all tough action taken by our leaders everywhere. Fight with all our mIght

(20)
Dan Landqvist,
March 25, 2012 3:54 PM

I`m so sorry for the Jews people. and i pray to God every day for The Jews, Ilove The Jews people. God bless you all in Israel and all Jews in the World, God se all things. The revenge is mine sad the lord!
God Bless! From Sweden

Anonymous,
March 26, 2012 6:38 AM

"revenge" is an illusion, G-d is above "revenge"

when we realise that we are all intended to live as ONE, we will realise that we only hurt ourselves with our individual failings.

(19)
Tuvia Kurz,
March 25, 2012 3:53 PM

Frum voices must he heard

the only way the world will begin to hear our cry and understand us as Jews is if we stand up and cry and loudly for any inhumanity, for every murder of a child because of who they are. For genocide perpetraded on any people. For our survival......for our beloved Israel, let our voices be heard.

(18)
dov,
March 25, 2012 3:33 PM

so true

I could not have said it better "we the jews are certainly the cacaries for the rest" what a great analoque
Dov

(17)
abdelwahed,
March 25, 2012 3:27 PM

Iam sorry belief me iam sorry I am muslem and pray Iam proud in my religion but all this crime out of huminty this terrorism t abuse to islum

"sorry" is the first step. I for one (and I don't speak for anyone else) commend you on that "first step". Here at Aish.com, you will find many reasons to love ALL your fellow human beings. Please tell your friends. Shalom (and Salam).

(16)
ruth housman,
March 25, 2012 3:11 PM

The EVIL that men do: what is incomprehensible

What is incomprehensible in this event is reprehensible, and all we can do is stand in front of the Wall in Jerusalem, the WAILING WALL and hold hands together. Stand together, and WEEP and ask, WHY? The eternal wailing WHY? Because YES, you are right, and the Jews have been hit hard, and continue to be scapegoats, an "easy" target. Is it because we are about a wake up call, a morality of being, and it's that alarm clock that alarms people so they go out and terrorize? I think there has to be more to this very ancient story.
I cannot forget, and I rarely hear a Rabbi or anyone talking about Hitler's excuse, which is the Turks got away with it, so I can too. Meaning, the Armenian genocide. Let us not forget that there are others, and these others are still waiting, for that denial, to stop, the NAIL that is in Denial, the broken nail, the one that puts the coffin on so many victims. The Armenians do not forget, nor should we, for many cogent reasons.
Getting back to EVIL and the JEWS, it seems we are sacrificial lambs, EWES si to speak, and I think it's time, G_d stepped in and truly stopped all of this, because I have to believe somehow there is a cosmic story, that does not exonerate this and could not ever, for us, because to be human, should be about humanity, about HUMANE, but a story G_d must tell, about the why of it all. We do know, surely, that the phoenix always does rise from the ashes, and those who are ethical write and ponder, and weep over such pain, and we hope, somehow to raise the consciousness of others, that is the conscience of humanity to put an end forever to all of this, here, in our lives, as we live it. We know life is deeply bipolar and that words themselves reflect this, as in the aural connectivity of cruel and crewel. So is it possible, that somehow, there is a story, within the words themselves, that will bring us all HOME, to a new and opening consciousness, of that climb up Jacob's ladder.

(15)
Constanza leal Melo,
March 25, 2012 3:03 PM

there sadly other people that take lives in their hands.

every day in Colombia, south america, there are killings at the hands of colombians, colombians against Colombians...and idiference is the result, no one does anything...impunity is the law...ypu guys at least have a foundation dated for thousands of years, a law and faith, we Colombians have no light .....because beleives have faded into the reality of mafias, killing fields.....kidnapings.....we survive, because that is life also, I can not look arround or feel responsable....I just have to live my life the best I can, not hurting my neighbour......I am most ashamed of the human kind....

Robin,
March 25, 2012 4:21 PM

Colombia is not the same

The murder of Jews is acceptable once again. In Colombia there is CRIME! It is horrible, do not misunderstand what I am saying, However, the world is not trying to wipe Colombia from the map. Colombians around the world do not worry about history repeating itself! Hitler did not murder only my people, but we WERE the only ones with a FINALE SOLUTION! It is very different. There is murder all over the world, but ours is meant to wipe Jews and our history from the world totally. May G-d keep you safe.

(14)
Lisa,
March 25, 2012 2:56 PM

What do you want the world to do??

As they say...."Esav soneh et Yaakov"....we haven't seen the end.....it's sad, but it will only end when Mashiach enters our world.

(13)
mfc,
March 24, 2012 12:01 PM

the true cycle of violence

ironically, many people in an effort to make sense where none exists try to come up with excuses or rationale. jews are bad. israel is evil. in an effort to understand the chaos that evil creates this is the route many people take and sadly, this is the true cycle of violence

David,
March 25, 2012 3:29 PM

Only Together

The violence from without will Only end when there is peace and unity within

(12)
Anonymous,
March 23, 2012 4:43 PM

Thank you

Welland clearly stated. May all those who mourn be comforted in time and with great love and support

(11)
Mikoel,
March 23, 2012 4:35 PM

It is clear to me why these horrible and despicable things are happening. They are in a state of deep hatred and rebellion against G-d, and the best way they can do it is to hurt and murder God's people. To kill even one Jew is equivalent to poking a sharp object into G-d's eye. These people, evil as they are consciously or unconsciously know that to wipe out all Jews from the face of the earth would rid this planet of the Torah, the Neviim and the Ketuvim, the basis of what is pure and right, the source of light, peace and joy for all G-d fearing and G-d loving people, both Jews and Christians alike. Always remember, first the Jews and then the G-d loving Christians. The world has seen it before, and now we are starting to see it again. Open up your eyes now before it is too late. These people won't stop until all memory of our great and loving G-d is wiped out on the face of the earth.

Anonymous,
March 25, 2012 3:56 AM

They will never prevail and God's eternal and sovereign Word will prevail.

(10)
mgoldberg,
March 23, 2012 2:10 PM

Instead of mourning the victims of their fellow co-religionists, muslims are moaning about Islamophobia, about a possible backlash- that never happens. in France, where Muslims are NOT mourning the murdered Jews, and other muslims take credit, the message is clear- they support the Jihad by never marching in the tens of thousands calling for the deaths of their murderers. Never- anywhere, does this occur.
Remember the mumbai rabbi and his wife? They had nothing to do with anyone, and her embryo was sllaughtered out of her- her husband castrated. The savagery, the barbarian evil was never howled against by us except to coo, about how it's not all muslims. How many more have to die, before we demand that Islam be so investigated just as nazism was and eventually condemned. Calling for brotherhood didn't make any sense for combatting nazi ideology- why does the rabbi think that merely supporting 'conscience' is any more realiistic- Islam has no such ethics- period. It never did and never will. That's why the 54 'prophet's of Israel, all with a consistent message all of whom have nothing to do whatsoever with the ethics of their mohammed, who preached evil, slaughter and submission for all others is diametrically opposed to do unto all others as you would have them do unto you.

Wassim,
March 26, 2012 5:43 AM

you make a valid point

You are right. Islam's text contains several passages that vilify and denigrate all non-Muslims in one way or another. Neither the Christian nor the Jewish texts are similar (to the same extent) in that respect. It's interesting to note that Shia Islam is a proponent of Kalam (discussing the texts) whereas other Islamic sects are vehemently opposed to Kalam. It seems to me, God is pushing us into a position of reconciliation with Iran. I know I'd rather have a conversation with an Ayatollah than with your average muslim who doesn't question what he reads (and reads only 1 of the prescribed 5 sources anyway!). Look for the win-win. The stakes are too high for "us vs them" mentality.

mgoldberg,
March 26, 2012 1:52 PM

Re: my valid point

The 109 suras that speak of killing the infidels, jews and christians are the majority, not the minority- and yes- discussion about them
whilst seemingly an 'improvement, is actually by islamic history- ever the worse. It all subsumes under the dominion of Islam, and this forced upon 'ALL' others. Now- you were correct in saying their NOTHING of this in the Torah. It is the exact opposite. And that is the point of the Islamic jew hatred. That all the religions of the earth took the Torah, jewish, God's teaching to their theology eventually: do not do unto others as you would not have them do to you or it's reverse- Do unto ALL others as you would have them do to you, is NOT followed nor believe by one religion. Islam, is that religion. Islam mandates the performance of what Mohammed considered the good, and not doing what he considered the bad. So, Jihad, submission and then killing all those who resist submission and the historical reaffirmation of this has been the historic reality of Islam when it is given free rein. 280 millions slaughtered by Islam. And yes... you might be a good man- Wassim- as are others. That I believe because the Torah judges Individuals by deed, not creed, and Here is the 'discussion' that you refer to as worthy of dialogue??!? Here is what Tafsir Ibn Kathir says:
Paying JIzyah is a sign of Kufr and Disgrace.Allah said, until they pay the Jizyah, if they do not choose to embrace Islam, with willing submission, in defeat and subservience, and feel themselves subdued, disgraced, humiliated, and belittled. Therefore, Muslims are not allowed to honor the people of Dhimmah or elevate them above Muslims, for they are amiserable, disgraced and humiliated......" And that is not some cherry picked abnormality but the generous Sufi version of Islam. Wassim... you and others might be fine, sober, gentle people, but Islam and Mohammed aren't and the history speaks eternally as does the theology.

mgoldberg,
March 26, 2012 2:36 PM

re: you make a valid point

Wassim- you say, 'I'd rather have a conversation with an Ayatollah than with your average muslim who doesn't question what her reads'
Here is the Ayatollah Komeini's words: “Whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword and in the shadow of the sword! People cannot be made obedient except with the sword! The sword is the key to Paradise, which can be opened only for the Holy Warriors!”
And we know what 'Holy Warriors' means and it doesn't mean introspection whatsoever.
As R Spencer in an article noted: "Even the post-Christian West makes it more possible to be virtuous than the apparently much more straitlaced Islamic world. With its stonings, amputations, death penalties for an array of offenses including apostasy, Islam has created not a framework in which people can become genuinely good, but an empire of fear. People don’t dare step out of line, not out of an authentic understanding that the path of moral and ethical uprightness is preferable to the alternative, much less out of love for God or a real desire to please him, but because they are afraid of what would happen to them if they did depart from Islam’s vision of morality."
And as scores of French muslims, go off to train with the taliban, as they are at this very time, and as ordinary muslims contribute to organizations that pay for these men- and note M Merah was around the world learning how to kill and who to kill and his way was paid- he didn't pay for it, and his neighbors aren't up in arms marching in shame, asking for forgiveness for the slaughterings and the promises of more, because they either support what he did and or know that they would be so included as worthy of death, as were the muslim paratroopers who served in the French army and who were also killed.
So please- you might be a fine man, but Islam is what Mohammed said it is.

Wassim,
March 28, 2012 8:15 AM

The wind of change leaves no stone untouched :-)

Thank you for your response Ma'am, it means a lot to me. I accept what you have written as essentially true, but I think I may have a counter point for your consideration. The Ayatollah is in a unique position where his religious views are inextricably intertwined with his political success. I would guess that the the Ayatollah's apparent extremism is a necessary ploy to maintain his perceived legitimacy among the Shia population of the Middle East. If he took a softer stance (and G-d forbid he let it show that he is an extremely learned man) the Shia may lose faith in his leadership. He must lead the masses he finds himself in the position of leading. He cannot choose a different population to lead even if he wished it. They're stuck with him, and he's stuck with them. So long as muslims in general are attracted to extremism, he'd better appear to be the number one extremist in order to play the 'the good shepherd' role. I would also guess that the 'tafsir' you quoted was (a) post Shia-Sunni schism, and (b) certainly not penned by Muhammad himself, so *if* Islam is what Muhammad said it is, then show me the writings of Muhammad himself please!!! Everything not penned by Muhammad, is not held to be divinely inspired in the eyes of Muslims. We might argue about the authorship of the Quran, but there is no argument that the Haddith is NOT the word of God, and Islam repeatedly states that man is prone to error (even the most pious). Muslims may have to choose between the Quran and the Haddith in some parts where they don't quite agree with each other. In fact, until Muslims garner the courage to think about how one sentence correlates with another in the same text or in a different text, that is the main problem we/they need to solve or help solve (and that is apart from maintaining security and law and order in the meantime). I would also GUESS that the Sunni and Wahabi sects have their own agendas that further complicate the issue. I KNOW that NOTHING lasts forever.

mgoldberg,
March 31, 2012 1:51 PM

Wassim requests quotes

Wassim asked: "so *if* Islam is what Muhammad said it is, then show me the writings of Muhammad himself please!!!
Unbelievers
2:191, And slay them wherever ye catch them
2:193, And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression
2:216, Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you
3:28, Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah
4:48 “Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.”
4:84, Then fight in Allah’s cause - Thou art held responsible only for thyself - and rouse the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the fury of the Unbelievers; for Allah is the strongest in might and in punishment.
4:141, And never will Allah grant to the unbelievers a way (to triumphs) over the believers
5:33, The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;
8:12, I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them
8:15-16, O ye who believe! when ye meet the Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them. If any do turn his back to them on such a day - unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own)- he draws on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed)!....

Anonymous,
March 31, 2012 1:54 PM

Wassim requests

8:15-16, O ye who believe! when ye meet the Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them. If any do turn his back to them on such a day - unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own)- he draws on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed)!
8:17, It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah’s: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself
8:60, Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly. 8:65, O Prophet! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers
9:5, But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem.
9:3, And an announcement from Allah and His Messenger, to the people (assembled) on the day of the Great Pilgrimage,- that Allah and His Messenger dissolve (treaty) obligations with the Pagans. If then, ye repent, it were best for you; but if ye turn away, know ye that ye cannot frustrate Allah. And proclaim a grievous penalty to those who reject Faith.
9:14, Fight them, and Allah will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame, help you (to victory) over them, heal the breasts of Believers,
9:23, O ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love infidelity above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong.

mgoldberg,
March 31, 2012 6:24 PM

Wassim's Quran quotes

Just as an example of everyday's events- here it is as always.
Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur's official Friday sermon says "Jews are the main enemy to Muslims"
Delivered in mosques all over the nation's capital city, this sermon was based on Qur'an 5:82, which says that the Jews will be the worst enemies of Muslims. It's noteworthy that this sermon was delivered in Malaysia, half a world away from Israel: clearly the Malaysian enmity for Jews is based on Islam, not on political considerations. "In Friday sermon, JAWI tells Muslims Jews are No. 1 enemy," by Shannon Teoh for the Malaysian Insider, March 30:
KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The Federal Territories’ official sermon today told Muslims Jews are their main enemy as proven by their ego and murderous acts.
The Friday sermon, delivered at lunchtime in mosques across the capital city, said Muslims must “free your brethren in Palestine from the grasp of Zionist rule and economic siege by donating money, food, medicine and whatever is suitable.”
“Firstly, Muslims must understand Jews are the main enemy to Muslims as proven by their egotistical behaviour and murders performed by them,” said the sermon prepared by the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (JAWI)
Now... whole nations of muslims use the Quran to make the jews eternal enemies, and hence- they have no such sorrow at the slaughters of jews such as in Toulous... now, or ever.
That... Is Mohammed's Islam.

(9)
mgoldberg,
March 23, 2012 1:33 PM

you've missed the point

I'm sorry- saying that it's a 'trajedy' is a lie. Was the slaughter of jews in WW II a trajedy?!!? NO, it was an obecenity, an abomination and if we simply infer that it's a lack of the worlds perspective on morality, then we are merely patting ourselves on the head. The grand rabbi of France, 'tragically' stated that
..."Muslims like Jews, Jews like Muslims, and condemn all confusion that might be made between the international political situation in the Middle East and the monstrous act that ... has horrified all French," the Grand Rabbi of France Gilles Bernheim said Wednesday after meeting with Muslim leaders and Sarkozy
That statement is a tragedy. It is a lie. And it ignores all the slaughters, right in front of the rabbi's eyes. Ilan Halimi was tortured in an apartment building heard and known of for a month, and not one muslim told of any of this.
The slaughters by this muslim killing children is what defines Islam- the submission of all infidels, and the slaughter of jews and others to achieve that submission. And this patting ourselves on the back for having ethics misses the mark, misses the point, and ignores the obvious evil that is Islam. Not some hijacked version. It is mohammed's religion, and that is the reality. And more will die, because of patting ourselves on the back and not calling evil what it is, and what Islam Is.

(8)
Antonina,
March 23, 2012 11:24 AM

Murder of the innocent

Dear Rabbi , please know that many good human beings in the world those whose moral compas is still intact grieve with you and the parents and families of those murdered by a heinous evil sub human filed with such hate, it makes me physically ill, he took the cowards way out, They were waiting for him in hell with open arms.
I am secure in the knowledge that those whose lives he took are with GOD.

(7)
Wassim,
March 23, 2012 2:14 AM

Agreed - now we need an article that counters any notion that all Jews are being called back to Israel

Dear Rabbi, I'm concerned about the strategic vulnerability that may result if prevalent fundamentalist arguments advocating a return to Israel by all Jews are allowed to go unanswered by immanent Rabbis such as yourself. If Jews put all their eggs in one basket, and then Iran happens to attack, it will be worse than the holocaust. You don't need to be a prophet to see that scenario !!!

(6)
Anonymous,
March 22, 2012 8:03 PM

hw more inhuman can a person be?

thank you for writing this article. what i dont understand is why someone would murder 3 children and a father all in one go? how inhuman and immoral and animal like is that??? its disgusting and horrible and i dont understand it...

(5)
Anonymous,
March 22, 2012 6:24 PM

This is an excellect and heartfelt article. It is filled with time-proven undeniable truths.
As a practical matter, it is clear that all facilty should be armed and if affordable, an armed guard should be hired immediately and permanently.
My heart breaks for the families and friends of these victims.
May Hashem avenge their blood.

(4)
Henry,
March 22, 2012 6:00 PM

My condolences to the families of the victims.

I am a practicing Roman Catholic who only recently discovered your website. I wish to offer my sympathy to all those who suffer from the loss of their family members and friends. The hatred that provokes such actions is disgusting. Perhaps one day god's children will all come together in friendship and brotherhood. I pray that all violence such as this shall come to an end. once again, my sympathy and condolences to the families.

(3)
izzy,
March 22, 2012 3:01 PM

well said

... we need Moshiach

Yehudit,
March 23, 2012 7:56 PM

AMEN.

we need him now!

(2)
peter,
March 22, 2012 2:51 PM

and this article is a real alarm clock for the jews themselves...

thank you Rabbi Blech

(1)
Tomas,
March 22, 2012 11:23 AM

praise for Rabbi Blech

This is a very fitting article. Rabbi Benjamin Blech is my most favourite poster on this website.

I always loved the story of Jonah and the whale. Why do we read it during the afternoon service of Yom Kippur?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Let's recap the story: God tells Jonah to go to Ninveh and to prophesy that in 40 days, God will destroy the city. Instead, Jonah goes to Jaffa, boards a ship, and sails for Tarshish. A great storm arises. Frightened, Jonah goes to sleep in the ship's hold. The sailors somehow recognize that Jonah is responsible for the storm. They throw him overboard, and the sea becomes calm.

A great fish swallows Jonah. Then three days later, God commands the fish to spit Jonah back out upon dry land. God tells Jonah, "Let's try it again. Go to Ninveh and tell them in 40 days I will destroy the city."

The story is a metaphor for our struggle for clarity. Jonah is the soul. The soul is assigned to sanctify the world, and draw it close to God. But we are seduced by the world's beauty. (Jaffa in Hebrew means "beauty.") The ship is the body, the sea is the world, and the storm is life's pains and troubles. God hopes confrontation with mortality will inspire us to examine our lives. But Jonah's is the more common response - we go to sleep (have a beer, turn on the television). The sailors throw Jonah overboard - this is death. The fish that swallows Jonah is the grave. Jonah is spat back upon the land - reincarnation. And the Almighty tells us to try again. "Go sanctify the world and bring it close to God."

Each of us is born with an opportunity and a challenge. We each have unique gifts to offer the world and unique challenges to perfect ourselves. If we leave the task unfinished the first time, we get a second chance. Jonah teaches us that repentance can reverse a harsh decree. If the residents of Ninveh had the ability to correct their mistakes and do teshuva, how much more so do we have the ability to correct our former mistakes and do teshuva.

(source: "The Bible for the Clueless But Curious," by Rabbi Nachum Braverman)

In 1948, Egypt launched a large-scale offensive against the Negev region of Israel. This was part of the War of Independence, an attack by five Arab armies designed to "drive the Jews into the sea." Though the Jews were under-armed, untrained, and few in number, through ingenuity and perseverance they staved off the attacks and secured the borders. Yet the price was high -- Israel lost 6,373 of its people, a full one percent of the Jewish population of Israel at the time.

And what does teshuvah consist of? [Repentance to the degree] that the One Who knows all that is hidden will testify that he will never again repeat this sin(Maimonides, Laws of Teshuvah 2:2).

"How can this be?" ask the commentaries. "Inasmuch as man always has free choice to do good or evil, to sin or not to sin, how can God testify that a person will never repeat a particular sin? Is this not a repudiation of one's free will?"

The answer to this came to me at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, at which the speaker, a man who had been sober for twenty-one years, said, "The man I was drank. The man I was will drink again. But now I am a different man."

A sin does not occur in a vacuum. A person who is devout does not abruptly decide to eat treifah. A sin occurs when a person is in such a state that a particular act is not anathema to him.

Consequently, repentance is not complete if one merely regrets having done wrong. One must ask, "How did this sin ever come about? In what kind of a state was I that permitted me to commit this sin?"

True repentance thus consists of changing one's character to the point where, as the person is now, one can no longer even consider doing the forbidden act. Of course, the person's character may deteriorate - and if it does, he may sin again.

God does not testify that the person will never repeat the sin, but rather that his degree of repentance and correction of his character defects are such that, as long as he maintains his new status, he will not commit that sin.

Today I shall...

try to understand how I came to do those things that I regret having done, and bring myself to a state where such acts will be alien to me.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...